Past Reflections
by DWF222
Summary: What do you do when your past catches up to you? Your options are limited. Do you run? Do you ignore it? Do you make it right? She repeats herself, "Do you remember me?" Her voice isn't kind. Each syllable drips with contempt. Nausea grips your stomach. You plead with your twin to bail you out, but he's at a loss too. Then it hits you. Perhaps you played a game with her...but who?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Hey guys(: So yeah I'm writing a fanfic with RogueofHeart! She's an amazing writer and wrote the first part of this. I wrote the second part after the stars. Tell us what you think and if we should continue. Oh yeah, we don't own anything in this story besides Kyoko Mizushima. Well, without further ado, Chapter 1! **

Running my fingers through my hair, I glanced over at Hikaru. "So, what do you want to do now?"

He tilted his head, shooting me a bored look. "We could play a game."

I glanced to the side. "But we already played the 'Which one's Hikaru' game today-"

"-and all the guests have gone home for today," he finished.

"Hmph…." I dropped from the arm of the chair I was perched on and scanned the reasonably quiet music room. Hunny was taking his afternoon nap, while Mori sat silently by. Kyoya was at his usual table, dealing with the club's financial situation, which was mostly caused by Tamaki's impulsive spending, and Haruhi was off studying in the corner. Tamaki was nowhere in sight.

"We could-"

"Where's the boss?" I interrupted, crossing my arms.

Hikaru raised his head, surprised, and glanced around the room. "I…don't know. Probably off doing something stupid."

"Or perverted," I added.

Hikaru smiled at that and rested his chin back on the arm that was draped across the arm of his chair. His chin had no more hit his arm when his eyes widened slightly in realization, his head raising up once more. "Of course…."

"…that means…." I continued with a smile.

"….Haruhi's all alone," we finished together, impish grins spreading across our faces in unison.

In one fluid movement, Hikaru got to his feet and followed me as I slid over to where Haruhi was sitting. Standing on either side of her, we looked over her shoulders at the book she was reading.

"Whatcha reading?" we asked together.

"Go away," she said flatly.

"Awww, c'mon why?" we pouted, leaning closer.

Haruhi snapped the book shut, staring straight ahead with an irritated look. "Why can't you guys go bother Tamaki?" she asked, hunching her shoulders slightly.

"What's the fun in that?" I glanced sideways at her.

"Besides…." Hikaru continued.

"We're not entirely sure where he is," we explained, shrugging.

"Then why don't you go find him?" she asked through gritted teeth.

We smiled mischievously and leaned in closer. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Hikaru and I looked at each other. "Ok." With that, we each took one of her arms and lifted her out of the chair, dragging her towards the middle of the room.

"Hey! Put me down! What do you think you're doing?"

"Just what you said," I replied cheerfully.

"Finding the boss," Hikaru clarified.

"What do you need me for?" she exclaimed, legs flailing as she attempted to break free of our grasp.

"Oh, you'll see," I said, grinning wickedly.

"Put me down!" she repeated stubbornly.

We stopped in front of the doors to one of the side rooms, fortunately across the room from where Hunny was resting peacefully.

"Oh, would you relax?" Hikaru said, exasperated.

"We just wanted to see if you'd try on…." I said smoothly, grabbing one of the door handles.

"…one of these," Hikaru finished, taking the other door handle.

We pulled open the doors in unison, revealing the extensive wardrobe within. Stylish clothes and costumes hung on hangers around the edge of the room, while the occasional mannequin took up some of the open floor space, showing off some of the newest designs. Shoes lined the floor underneath the hanging outfits, while accessories and hats were stacked delicately on the shelves above.

Haruhi's initial shock died down as she hunched her shoulders again. "Why are all of these girls' clothes?" she asked, eyebrow twitching in disbelief.

"Well you are a girl," I pointed out unnecessarily.

"I know. Won't Tamaki have an issue with you guys having all of these here?"

Hikaru and I looked at each other. "Who do you think asked us to get this together?"

"Why am I not surprised?" Haruhi grumbled.

"Well, time to see what you look like in some of these!" Hikaru exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing an armful of the nearest clothes while I grabbed her and started dragging her towards the dressing rooms.

"What?!" she squeaked, voice cracking, arms struggling against my hold. "Hey, let me go!"

I laughed. "Come on, Haruhi. No one's here to see you. Mom would just love if you tried out some of her new outfits." As she struggled in my grip, I shot Hikaru a look over her head. After setting the outfits in the dressing room, he paused, listening, then nodded to me.

Suddenly the door crashed open and Tamaki stormed in. "Why you little perverts! Get away from my little girl!" He yelled, grabbing Haruhi from my grasp.

I quickly stepped back in case he tried to take a swing at me, falling back beside Hikaru. "Found him," we said in unison, smiling.

Haruhi blinked in surprise. "That's….what this was about?"

Tamaki, for the moment forgetting about Haruhi, stalked towards the twins. "That's what this was about?! Couldn't you just find me yourselves rather than dragging poor Haruhi into this?! I mean, really! How irresponsible and lazy do you have to be to-"

"Senpai, in all reality you're one left in the first place. If you're really trying to place the blame somewhere, it would probably fall on you," Haruhi cut in bluntly.

Tamaki retreated to the corner, curling into a ball and sulking. "My fault…?" he said in a small voice.

Haruhi lifted a hand as though to say something to Tamaki, but the sound of footsteps made me turn around in surprise.

Hunny stood there, holding his Bun Bun in one hand and rubbing his eye with the other. "You woke me from my nap," he said quietly, his hand falling to his side.

Tamaki screamed like a little girl while Hikaru and Haruhi tensed in fear and expectation. I carefully slid behind Haruhi and followed her as she slid behind the couch.

I sat there beside Haruhi as the sound of thuds and Tamaki begging for mercy commenced. Hikaru eventually made it over to where we sat, sheltered from Hunny-senpai's wrath, but it was clear he hadn't escaped unscathed. Everything after that was a blur.

* * *

"Hikaru, are you okay?" Haruhi asked, noticing that his head was completely face-planted on the desk.

"Too-" Hikaru began.

"...Early," I finished. Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"Why do you always have to do that finishing-each-other's-sentence thing. It's really weird," she said.

"We think it's-" I started. Hikaru's head shot up from the desk.

"Quite charming."

Haruhi moaned, smacking her head on the desk. We both chuckled. It was always fun annoying Haruhi. She made it too easy. Before we could get another jab at her, the teacher walked in. The chattering of the class fell silent and the mutual dread of the upcoming school day surfaced.

"Since when does he come in this early?" Hikaru whispered from the seat next to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, but I don't like it," I mumbled, leaning my head on my hand. Why were classes so boring? I couldn't wait for Host Club...

"Class, I would like to introduce you to our new student, Mizushima Kyoko. I'm sure you'll all give her a warm welcome," the teacher announced.

A petite girl walked through the door. Her hair was dark brown and cascaded into loose ringlets at the ends. Bangs swept across her bright blue eyes, and she had a huge, confident smile.

Turning to the new student, the teacher gestured to the rows of desks in front of him.

"Why don't you find an empty desk and have a seat?"

Her eyes darted across the room, searching for an empty seat. She eventually spotted an opening next to Haruhi and hurried over. Kyoko quickly sat down and held out her hand to Haruhi.

"Hi, I'm Kyoko," she said, grinning, as the teacher continued on with today's lesson.

Haruhi smiled back, taking her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Haruhi. I just came here a

couple months ago," she replied.

"Oh, that's cool. I actually went here until my second year in middle school. Last year, my family lived in Italy and brought along a private tutor for my third year studies. I guess you could call it a vacation," Kyoko answered cheerfully.

Haruhi's smile faltered a bit, remembering that Kyoko was the typical student at Ouran High School. Rich and the slightest bit arrogant. "Wow, that's really interesting," she admitted.

Hikaru cleared his throat, leaning his arm on the desk the girls shared.

"We're the Hitachiin twins. One of us is Hikaru and the other is Kaoru. So which one's Hikaru?"

I laughed. Hikaru and I loved new toys. It just made the game all the more fun.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "Hmmm...oh wait...I just remembered...I don't care," she hissed.

Hikaru and I looked at each other, cocking our heads to the side. This was different.

I frowned. "Ouch," I said.

"Icy," Hikaru added.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Kyoko shot up from her desk and ran for the door.

Hikaru and I exchanged a mischievous glance and jogged after her. We came up from behind and linked our arms on either side of her.

"Here, we'll show you where your classes are," Hikaru offered, snatching the paper from her grasp.

"It'll give you time to tell us which one's Hikaru. Since this is your first time, we'll let you guess-" I stated.

"...But after that, you have to give us a reason," Hikaru finished.

Kyoko shoved us both to the side, yanking her paper back from Hikaru. Hikaru and I glanced at each other, completely astonished. She continued a few steps, before spinning around to look at us.

"I'm pretty sure I can find my classes myself, thanks. Besides," she paused to look down at her paper, "I have..huh...nowhere to be. Now if you'll excuse me." Kyoko stalked down the hallway through the bustle of Ouran High School.

Hikaru and I met each other in the center, speechless. I ran my fingers through my hair. "She is-"

"Fascinating."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Tell us what you think and review(: We'll most definitely return the favor!**

We glanced down at the costumes laid before us on the chair. "Is this really it?" we asked, staring at the plain white skirts, brown leather sandals, and few pieces of gold jewelry, unimpressed.

I walked to the curtain sectioning off our dressing room and poked my head out. "Kyoya?"

Kyoya turned, the unopened package containing his outfit clutched in his hand. "Yes?"

"I think you're forgetting half of our costumes," I said bluntly, gazing at him with an irritated look.

"Oh no," he replied cheerfully. "I was extremely careful when making sure that all costume pieces got to their respective members. Whatever you have, or don't have I suppose, is intentional."

At that moment, Haruhi exited the dressing room to my left, dressed in a short white robe

with a thin rope belt tied at her waist.

"Hey! How come Haruhi gets a robe and we get scraps of cloth?" I exclaimed, disgruntled by her complete outfit.

Kyoya stared at me. "Well, I would have thought that obvious. She is a girl, after all."

"Hmph." I withdrew my head and walked over to where Hikaru was standing, already in his outfit.

"What's the matter?" he asked, looking at me concerned. "Normally you're not so against our costumes. Besides, what's wrong with showing a little skin? The clients love it."

"I don't know. It's been a week, but what that girl said is still bugging me," I said quietly, undressing and picking up the skirt.

"Who, Kyoko?"

I nodded, pulling on the skirt and sitting down on the chair.

"Why are you still thinking about her? She hasn't said anything to us since that first day,"

he said, leaning slightly on the back of the chair.

"I told you, I don't know. It's just something about the way she looks at us that gives me the uncomfortable feeling that we're forgetting something." I paused, the gold cuffs laying coldly in my hands.

Hikaru shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. If we've forgotten, then it probably wasn't worth remembering in the first place." He took the cuffs from me and clamped them around my wrists.

I looked up at him and smiled. "You're probably right," I said, pulling the necklace over my head and letting it fall loosely around my neck.

Hikaru and I pushed the curtain aside and walked out of the dressing room towards a cluster of chairs. We plopped down on the couch. I stared at the far wall of the room. Kyoko Mizushima...what was it about her? She rattled me. Usually I was the rational one of the two of us, but Hikaru actually had to calm me down for once...There was something different about her... I could feel it.

"Hey, Kaoru," Hikaru said, nudging me with his elbow.

I snapped out of my trance and looked to where Hikaru was motioning his head towards the Boss.

Tamaki stood talking to Kyoya, dressed in a long white robe similar to Kyoya's. Both wore lavish gold belts around their waists. Each had a headdress, but Kyoya's was tall, blockish, and rather plain whereas Tamaki's was eccentric, with a gold cobra protruding from the front. Tamaki also sported an extensive collection of gold jewelry. Intricate necklaces hung loosely from his neck while numerous golden bands encircled his arms.

I stood abruptly, pointing accusingly at Tamaki's elaborate apparel. "Why does the Boss get to wear that when we get stuck with this?!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

The room fell silent as everybody looked towards me at my sudden outburst.

Kyoya, the shocked look on his face turning into one of mild curiosity, stepped towards me. Pushing his glasses up his nose thoughtfully, he asked "Kaoru, are you feeling alright? This is most unlike you."

I let my arm fall to my side and stood there, hesitantly, unsure of what to say. I could hear the soft scratch of fabric against fabric as Hikaru stood up behind me. I could just about sense his arm as he reached out to me, and felt as he lay his hand gently on my shoulder. He wasn't generally this tender, but he knew something was wrong.

"Kaoru..." he said softly.

I shrugged off his hand and sat back down in my chair, staring off into the distance. Resting my elbow on the arm of the chair, I brought my hand up to my mouth and toyed with my lip gently, deep in thought. "I'm fine," I said quietly.

Jeez, Kaoru, keep it together. You're the level-headed one. You need to think.

My eyes scanned the room again. Everyone had gotten back to their preparations for the upcoming clients. Today's theme was Egypt.

Hikaru, as though reading my thoughts, stated casually, "Some theme, huh? Wonder how the Boss thought up this one."

I stared ahead, not focused on anything in particular. "I'm assuming it was probably more Kyoya than Tamaki."

Both our eyes followed Kyoya as he set up his laptop and accounting work on one of the tables hugging the sides of the room and then moved to the center to greet the clients once the doors were officially opened.

"We should probably go join him." Hikaru glanced at me cautiously, uncertain about my current mood.

"Yeah." I pulled myself to my feet and the both of us walked toward where Kyoya stood, now joined by both Hunny and Mori, as well. Looking around, I asked, "Where's Haruhi?"

Kyoya glanced over at me. "I believe she left to go track down Tamaki. I believe he went to go find a greyhound."

I turned my face to look at him squarely. "Why?" I asked incredulously.

"I stopped asking that a long time ago."

"I wanted to go, too, but Tama-chan said I should stay here," Hunny interjected, pouting.

Mori nodded silently.

At that moment, distant voices sounded from one of the side rooms.

"-and I still don't understand why you needed this greyhound!" Haruhi exclaimed, exasperated.

"I told you, it makes everything seem more authentic," Tamaki responded, entering the room with a greyhound in tow behind him. Haruhi followed closely behind the greyhound. Hikaru stifled a laugh.

"I don't know I kind of-" Hikaru started, but Haruhi shot him a look.

"Don't encourage him," she said through clenched teeth.

The squealing of fangirls cut the tension in the room.

"Places everyone," Kyoya announced.

"Wait, what do I do with Tamaru?" Tamaki exclaimed in a panicky tone.

"What is it's name?" Haruhi asked.

"Tamaru, it's a combination of Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru. Isn't it wonderful?" he said proudly, hugging the greyhound.

"That's so offensive," Hikaru and I replied simultaneously.

"That's so...stupid," Haruhi added. The dog looked up at Kyoya with pleading eyes as Tamaki continued to strangle him.

"Go ahead, bite him," Kyoya sighed.

Hikaru chuckled as the dog whimpered in Tamaki's arms, not quite wanting to bite him. My attention, however, gravitated towards the door as none other than Mizushima Kyoko walked through the doors of Music Room #3. Hikaru and I exchanged glances, smirking mischievously. We strode over to where Kyoko stood, scanning the room in search of something.

"Come to see us again, Miss Mizushima?" we purred smugly.

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "If you must know, which is, in all reality, none of your business, I'm here to see Haruhi," she replied impatiently. We remained rooted to our spots, speechless. Tamaki rushed up to us, pushing us gently to the side. He gave one of his most charming smiles.

"Welcome to the Host Club. You seem to be new here, so let me take you through the basics of what we do here," Tamaki murmured smoothly, taking Kyoko's hand in his and kissing her knuckles gently.

Kyoko retracted her hand slowly, gazing warily at Pharaoh Tamaki.

Tamaki, ignoring her reluctance, continued. "The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Think of it as Ouran's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful. We have many different types here. There's Kyoya, the Cool Type, or the twins, the Mischievous Type, or-"

"That's okay, I'm here for Haruhi," Kyoko stated flatly, interrupting Tamaki's spiel.

Tamaki, slightly flustered by the interruption, swept his hair back with a hand, regaining his composure in the meanwhile.

"Well, of course there's always me, the-"

"I'm here for Haruhi," she repeated.

"Bu-"

"Haruhi."

Tamaki rushed to his rejection corner, distraught, as Haruhi stepped forward, a slightly surprised look on her face. "Oh, hi, Kyoko," she said, greeting their classmate informally.

Kyoko beamed. "Haruhi! I thought I'd come by and spend a little time with you. You're not with any other clients right now, are you?"

"No, not currently. We've only just opened our doors."

"Great! You wouldn't mind sitting down with me and chatting, would you?"

Haruhi tilted her head slightly and flashed Kyoko one of her natural smiles. "Of course not. Won't you please come in?"

As Haruhi led Kyoko over to the couch where she had been previously sitting, Hikaru and I stared off after the two girls, dumbfounded.

"Intriguing," we stated simultaneously, before reluctantly returning to the line of clients waiting for our brotherly love.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews we've gotten. You don't know how much it means to us! I know the story is getting off to kind of a slow start, but I promise the next few chapters will be pretty dynamic. Perhaps the twins are forgetting something... (: Anyway, please continue to review and without further ado, chapter 3!**

"Come on, Haruhi, spill. We know you've been talking to her for the past two weeks. Besides, it's not like we're asking where she lives," Hikaru said, hanging onto the crook of her left arm.

"We can just get that from Kyoya," I added, pulling at her right arm.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, focusing on her packed lunch. She continued her walk across the lunchroom, back to the classroom despite our constant nagging. "Would you two just leave me alone? I'm not telling you anything," Haruhi answered flatly.

We sighed. "Come on, she won't talk to us. We only want to know a little bit about her."

"Like why she left," I explained.

"And why she's back," Hikaru continued.

"And how she knows us."

"And why she's mad at us."

"What her favorite color is."

"What clubs she's in."

"What she's afraid of."

"We're just curious is all," we chorused, feigning innocent looks, while continuing to yank her through the lunchroom.

"It's none of your business. And why did you even drag me here? You know I eat lunch in the classroom. This is pointless. You need to let go of me and let her be. I like her, and I'm not going to help you two stalk her," she replied petulantly, slipping out of our grasp and turning to face us.

"We were your friends first. Don't we preside over her? Besides, we don't stalk. We are nothing but charming," we defended stubbornly.

Haruhi's eyebrows furrowed. "Right now you're anything but. Honestly, I see why she doesn't like you. You're wearing on my last nerve. I mean does it really bother you that one girl doesn't fawn over you? You two don't care if anybody else likes you. What makes her so special?" she snapped, stalking out of the lunchroom.

Hikaru and I looked at each other.

"She has a point," I said quietly, thoughtfully.

"Yes, but why?"

"It's only ever been us."

"And then Haruhi came along."

We looked at each other. "It's definitely Haruhi's fault."

I sighed.

"What now?" Hikaru questioned.

I smirked, spotting a familiar figure sitting alone on the far side of the lunch room. "Let's go pay our new best friend a visit."

Hikaru and I strode across the lunchroom and slid into the two empty chairs next to Kyoko.

Realizing she was no longer alone, her eyes wandered from her book, sliding from one side to the other, trying to figure out who her company was. As soon as she saw us, however, she pursed her lips and buried her nose back into the book in front of her.

"I thought girls were supposed to seek you out, not the other way around," Kyoko muttered, not even bothering to look up from her book.

"Oh come on now, don't pretend you're not happy to see us," I replied cheerfully, flashing her one of my best smiles.

"I'm no actress."

Hikaru and I looked at each other, unused to such cold responses. At least those that were unprovoked.

I got out of my chair and slid behind her. "So what clubs and activities are you involved in?" I asked slyly, but warmly.

Kyoko had just opened her mouth to no doubt give some kind of witty remark when Hikaru interjected, "Now, now, Kaoru, Miss Mizushima is far too busy with her book to be bothered answering such trivial questions."

My eyes widened slightly, "But, Hikaru..." I objected in a hurt voice, as he lifted my face towards him with a gentle hand below my jaw.

"It's okay, Kaoru. I just don't want you to waste any time on fruitless questions when you could be spending it with me" he said softly, gazing into my eyes.

"Hikaru..." I whispered.

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Save it for the Host Club." With that, she snapped her book close, stood up, and walked out the door of the lunchroom without so much as a backward glance.

Hikaru let his hand fall to his side as both of us followed her exit through narrowed eyes.

"Interesting."

* * *

Hikaru stretched lazily, relaxing in one of the chairs in the Host Club, entertaining some of our clients with his carefree attitude.

I glanced over at him from two tables over as I poured some tea for our guests into a new set of teacups we had just gotten the other day. So far, Kyoko had not come to visit the Host Club today, but Haruhi didn't seem concerned. Setting the teapot down, I picked up the tray with all the teacups and walked over to where they were all sitting.

"Here you are, ladies. Some nice, hot tea," I said, smiling down at all of them as I set the tray down on the table in the center of the cluster of chairs.

"Oh, thank you, Hikaru," they all squealed happily. "You're too kind."

I paused, standing before them all, glancing at Hikaru out of the corner of my eye. I watched as his grip tightened slightly, almost imperceptibly, on the arm of the chair.

It's always the same.

I smiled at them politely. "You're our honored guests. What kind of host would I be if I couldn't get you beautiful, young ladies a nice cup of tea?"

I sat down and listened to the murmur of the Host Club and its clients around me, allowing Hikaru to take charge of entertaining the guests this time. We had already done our brotherly love routine for this group so we could take a bit of a break until we switched clients, which would be in a couple of minutes. My eyes scanned the room.

Can any of them really tell Hikaru and I apart? They fawn over us, insist they are our friends or biggest fans, and yet...Nothing has changed.

I snapped out of my reverie as a familiar voice cut through the white noise of the room.

"I'm here to see Haruhi."

I looked over to the doors that opened up to the main hallway leading to Music Room 3. There, standing in the doorway, was Kyoko. She was speaking to Kyoya. It seems she hadn't been able to spot Haruhi from where she stood.

"I believe she went out to purchase some more of that instant coffee. She should be back shortly, though," Kyoya answered.

I perked up, nudging Hikaru and nodding my head towards where the two of them stood.

His eyes lit up and he stood somewhat abruptly from his seat. "I'm sorry, ladies, but I believe we have another client to attend to," he said, clapping his hands together and smirking mischievously.

Following Hikaru's lead, I stood up from my own chair and smiled at the ladies as they did the same. "We hope you'll come and visit us again sometime," I added happily, giving them a warm smile that made a few of them squeal.

"Now if you'll excuse us," we stated simultaneously, bowing slightly. Turning on our heels, we headed over to where Kyoko had taken a seat near the door, clearly waiting for Haruhi to return.

"Why hello there, Miss Mizushima," we chirped cheerfully, standing directly in front of her.

She jerked slightly as though she had been lost in her thoughts and looked up at us. It took her a moment, but once she recognized us, we saw the corner of her mouth twitch slightly in irritation. "Oh. Hello."

I glanced over at Hikaru and raised my eyebrow in a silent question.

He nodded slightly, giving my idea the go ahead.

"Since you don't feel like answering our questions..." I started.

"...and you don't like our method of entertainment..." Hikaru continued.

"...how about we play the 'Which One's Hikaru Game?'" we finished together, wrapping our arms around each other's shoulders.

Kyoko stared at us coldly.

"Well?" Hikaru prompted.

"Aren't you going to guess?" I smiled at her.

She didn't smile back. "I've already lost. A win is not a win where there's no competition."

Hikaru and I stared at her, stunned.

At that moment, Haruhi came through the door, holding a brown paper grocery bag. "I'm back, should I put the coffee away or are you guys going to-"

At the sound of her voice, we had turned and looked at the newly-arrived Haruhi. So when she finally looked up from the grocery bag she was holding, she saw the two of us standing in front of her client, staring at her, caught off guard.

"What are you two doing?!" Haruhi exclaimed, immediately irritated. "Go entertain your own clients and stop bothering mine!" Marching over to where Kyoko sat, Haruhi grabbed her wrist and stormed off further into the room with her client in tow.

Hikaru and I stared off after them, for once in our lives speechless.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Hey guys so this is a really good chapter! More of the plot line gets revealed, and there is some major sweetness that might just kill you(; Read and review please! **

"Wow, look at this place. It's beautiful," Haruhi wondered, her mouth gaping open. She peered up at the grand hotel that Tamaki had booked us just a few days earlier. On the ceiling were elegant, hand-painted visions of angels and cherubs with harps and other divine instruments. Ancient crown molding lined the room and gold candelabras hung from the wall. Claw-footed loungers and armchairs circled around a marble fireplace. A huge, gold chandelier was suspended in the middle of the ceiling, glowing softly in the dim lobby.

Ah, Paris. How different it was from Japan.

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, it's okay. I've seen better," he replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it's kind of old and boring if you ask me," I snorted as we approached the front desk.

Haruhi elbowed us in the ribs. "Shhh! That's so rude!"

We doubled over our throbbing abdomens.

"What? It's true!" Hikaru mumbled.

I had enough sense to remain silent as Hikaru suffered another elbow to his side.

We reached the edge of the front desk, crowding around Tamaki as he stepped forward to speak for our group.

"Name?" the hotel receptionist asked, positioning her fingers over the keyboard.

Tamaki smiled. "Suoh. Checking in," he answered.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard, eyes darting across the screen. After a few moments of navigating through the computer, the receptionist's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Tamaki Suoh?"

"Yes."

Her light blue eyes flicked up to meet his, and she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Missure Suoh, but it seems that you have the dates confused. You have your rooms reserved for next weekend," she said.

Tamaki's face reddened. "There must be a mistake. I know I reserved the rooms for this weekend," he argued.

She shook her head. "No, missure, your rooms are booked for next weekend."

Tamaki tapped the counter anxiously. "Well, do you have any extra rooms available?"

"No. I'm sorry to say that we, along with every other hotel in the area, are booked up for Fashion Week. I'm extremely sorry we can't do more, missure."

Tamaki rubbed the back of his neck and slowly spun around to face the rest of the Host Club. Insults came from all directions.

"Tamaki, are you kidding me? How could you be so careless?!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"I should have made the reservations," Kyoya admitted.

"Wow, Boss, you really screwed up!" Hikaru laughed.

"This is probably one of the stupidest things you've done yet," I said with a smirk.

"Where are we going to stay? All of the hotels are booked up!" Hunny recounted, hugging his Bun Bun close to his chest.

Tamaki stumbled back, overwhelmed by all the negative comments. Unable to handle it all, he retreated to his corner of distress.

I rolled my eyes. "Great, he screws everything up and does nothing to fix it," I muttered.

"So what do we do now? We need somewhere to stay," Hikaru questioned, leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, so far this vacation hasn't been very fun-" I started.

"...and most unbearably-" Hikaru interrupted.

"Boring!" we chorused.

Criticism of Tamaki and panicked questions continued to erupt from the entire Host Club, until Haruhi stamped her foot on the ground.

"Everyone, quiet!" she demanded.

Everyone fell silent.

A slight smirk spread across her face. "Good. Now as much as I hate to admit it, you guys have a lot of second homes right?"

We all nodded silently.

"Does anyone have a second home here in France?"

The rest of the club looked off into the distance, thinking.

Haruhi hung her head. "Great, they need to think about it," she grumbled.

Eventually, each member shook their head in turn as nothing came to mind.

"Okay, well, in that case..." Haruhi dug out her cell phone from her pocket. "I have an idea." She dialed a number and pressed the phone up to her ear. The phone rang for a while until a voice sounded from the other end.

"Hello, Haruhi!" a voice exclaimed.

She smiled. "Hey, Kyoko. What's up?"

Hikaru and I exchanged a crooked smile. Haruhi's idea made our job way too easy.

"Oh, nothing. Just relaxing on my bed, reading. My parents are at some runway show. How about you?" Kyoko replied.

"That sounds fun! Well, the funny thing is the Host Club and I are in Paris, too. It was just kind of one of those spontaneous things, you know? It was Tamaki's idea actually. Anyway, Tamaki screwed up our reservations and now we have nowhere to stay. All the hotels in the city are booked up with Fashion Week. Do you think we could maybe crash at your place for the weekend? I'm really sorry to intrude, but we don't have many options."

The other end was silent for a few seconds.

Haruhi bit her lip. "Kyoko, you still there?"

"You said the entire Host Club is with you?" she asked.

Haruhi winced at the edge in her friend's voice. "Yes."

There was a long, awkward silence before Kyoko finally spoke again, her voice cracking slightly. "And...the twins?"

Before Haruhi could dodge out of the way, we pulled the phone away from her ear, toward our mouths.

"Of course, Miss Mizushima," we said slyly.

Haruhi snatched the phone back, pressing it to her ear. "I'm sorry, they're just being...you know, Hikaru and Kaoru," she huffed. "Anyway, please? I would definitely owe you one."

Hikaru watched, amused, as Kyoya plucked the phone out of Haruhi's hand before she could continue.

"I can assure you that you will be fully reimbursed. Or we can add additional visits for you to Haruhi's tab."

Haruhi, horrified and outraged, ripped the phone out of Kyoya's grasp. "Who's phone is this anyway?!"

"Well," Hikaru and I chimed in, "technically it's ours. We're just letting you use it so we can reach you whenever."

"Who asked you?!" Haruhi snapped.  
"Um...Haruhi?" Kyoko's hesitant voice came from the phone.

"Oh, right, sorry. Anyway, we'd be the perfect house guests. Or at least, I will and I'll keep the others in line. Please, it's either you or seven park benches," Haruhi pleaded.

A crash sounded from the other end.

"Kyoko, are you okay?" Haruhi inquired, concerned.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Kyoko finally responded. "Um, yeah...it was a glass...Sometimes my grip's a little strong for the glasses we have..." Kyoko explained, her voice taut.

"Oh. Did you cut yourself?" Haruhi questioned.

"Nothing serious. I'm fine."

Haruhi nodded, satisfied. "So what do you say? Will you let us stay for a few days?"

"I suppose I can't really say no. I'll send a limo over to get you," Kyoko sighed.

"Thanks, Kyoko! We owe you one!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"More like a thousand...see you in a few."

"Bye!"

* * *

My heart did backflips in my chest. I pushed back the ginger bangs that plagued my eyes as I gazed out the window.

The limo pulled into a long driveway lined with leafy green trees. The fluorescent moon illuminated the Mizushima estate and all of our jaws dropped. A large, cobblestone mansion stood in the distance with a driveway that circled around an impressive fountain. The gurgling, spluttering water reflected the moonlight, sending dancing beams of light across the wine-colored shutters.

"Wow, I wonder who her parents are," Haruhi said, staring out the window of the limo.

Hikaru smirked.

"Whoever they are, they must be important," Hunny giggled, jumping up and down in his seat.

Mori placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Relax."

I smirked. "Her mother is a huge fashion designer who has worked with our mother on several lines before," I started.

"And her father is a pretty big automobile manufacturer," Hikaru finished.

Haruhi's eyebrows furrowed. "Have you two been stalking her?"

Hikaru and I grinned. "We don't stalk, but we do have very reliable sources."

Haruhi's gaze shifted to Kyoya. She raised her eyebrows. "Kyoya?"

He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I conduct background checks on all our clients. It's part of the territory."

Before Haruhi could respond, the doors of the limo opened, and we all piled out. Butlers and maids gathered our bags and carried them into the foyer.

We all strode into the house as another butler held the door open for us.

The inside didn't disappoint. A marble staircase cascaded and curved down the left side of the room. Flower arrangements of white calla lilies and red and pink roses decorated the room. The tall, soft salmon pink walls were accented with silver light fixtures that brightened the room.

The soft padding of feet sounded down the hallway above us and to our right. Kyoko peeked around the corner of the wall and then proceeded to the wooden railing. Contrary to the well-put-together Kyoko we saw everyday at school, a girl we didn't recognize appeared. She wore a gray soccer t-shirt, black athletic shorts, and dark blue socks. Her wavy hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she sported a pair of glasses with black, rectangular frames.

I blinked, surprised. I hadn't known she wore glasses.

Kyoko walked cautiously down the staircase. She linked her hands behind her back and joined us in the foyer.

Haruhi smiled at her in greeting. "What a beautiful house you have, Kyoko! Thanks so much for letting us stay here. I hope it's okay with your parents," Haruhi said sweetly.

Kyoko grinned back. "Of course. It's no trouble at all, Haru-" Kyoko began, eyes widening in realization.

Haruhi looked confused for a moment, but then gasped. She wore a pink and white striped shirt, jean shorts, and a matching pink barrett. Her feminine features were no longer masked with the boy's uniform of Ouran Academy. There was no mistaking it. She was clearly a girl.

Hikaru and I snickered at Kyoko's shocked expression.

"Haruhi...?" she whispered.

Haruhi blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, I have a bit of a confession to make, Kyoko. I'm kind of a girl."

Kyoko's mouth snapped shut, and she nodded slowly. "But why are you in the Host Club then?"

Haruhi's eyes flicked up to Kyoya, signaling him to explain.

"Well, you see, Haruhi is paying off a debt. She broke one of the vases we had planned on auctioning off. And since she couldn't pay for it, she had to become a member of the Host Club."

"Oh," Kyoko replied. "Well...that's okay, but is it alright if I still visit you at the Host Club? Or am I not allowed to anymore because I know the truth now?"

Haruhi laughed. "Of course you can come visit me! As long as you keep this between us, there's no problem."

Kyoko giggled and agreed with a slight nod. "Now," she said, clapping her hands together, "about sleeping arrangements..."

* * *

Thud. My eyes snapped open. I was lying on the floor, on my back. I glanced up at the edge of the bed.

Hikaru laid there, sprawled at the edge of the bed. One of his arms was draped over the side and a foot, presumably the one that had kicked me off the bed, peeked out mockingly at me.

I grumbled incoherently under my breath, irritated, then coughed as my dry throat protested. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was 1:04 A.M. Not too late to get a glass of water.

I crept out of my room and turned down the hallway, trying to find my way back to the foyer area. If I could get myself to the foyer, I could probably find any place in the house from there. With any luck, I wouldn't wake anybody on the way...

Tiptoeing down the hallway, I moved from one illuminated spot to the next as the windows let in small bursts of moonlight every few feet. Although it helped me make my way back to the foyer, it made the shadows seem all the darker, and I shivered involuntarily as the wind-blown branches outside made the shadows dance.

Having finally made it to the open area of the foyer, I rested my hand on the polished wood of the banister, following it down to the lower floor.

Slipping into the kitchen, I located a glass and filled it with water, scurrying out as quickly as I could. It felt weird not having a maid do it for me, but I assumed the staff were all in their beds, sound asleep. Besides, it didn't hurt that I was able to stretch my legs, considering how sore they were going to be in the morning from sleeping on the floor.

As I headed out of the kitchen, a warm, flickering glow coming from the dining room caught my eye. Curious, I padded towards the light, my socks making the slightest whispering noise on the tiled floor.

Poking my head around the corner, I peeked into the room. Upon seeing a figure in front of the source of light, I immediately withdrew my head and held my breath, waiting for some kind of scolding or acknowledgement.

When none came after several moments, I popped my head back into the room and saw that the figure was sitting in the chair closest to the doorway and slumped over the table.

Without a second thought, I entered the room and walked over until I was positioned directly beside the mysterious person. As I got closer, I realized that her hair was in a messy bun. The funny thing was, this bun seemed oddly familiar.

I leaned in close, and my eyes widened in surprise as I realized that the person was none other than Kyoko.

I chuckled softly to myself. Our esteemed hostess was fast asleep, her head resting on top of some book, and her arms on the table, loosely encircling both the book and her head. A bit of drool was gathered at the corner of her mouth, and she snored softly.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Hey, Kyoko," I called in a voice barely above a whisper. "You should wake up and go to-"

Kyoko's hand came up and slapped me in the face, cutting me off abruptly. I stood there, stunned, unsure how to respond. She hadn't slapped me hard. She was asleep for Christ's sake. I could still feel the remnant sting, though.

I stared at her for a moment, and then shook my finger at her sleeping form. "Now I'm only going to let you get away with this once. Partly because I'm just that nice. Mostly because you're asleep."

Kyoko responded with a loud snore.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

I set the glass of water down on the table and, bending down, I very carefully slid one hand under the crook of her knees and cradled her back with the other. Straining slightly with the effort of doing so as smoothly as possible, I picked her up and carried her over to an adjoining parlor room.

Just as I was about to walk through the doorway, a beam of moonlight streaming through one of the large windows in the foyer hit her directly in the face. Kyoko groaned and attempted to roll over in my arms.

Panicking, I shifted my arms with her, until she finally settled, snuggling against my bare chest. Breathing a sigh of relief, I continued into the room. "You're not making this easy for me, are you?" I whispered, chastising her.

She snored again in response.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I groaned. I carefully laid her down gently on the nearest couch so that her head was resting comfortably on a pillow. I retrieved a blanket from the neat stack on the adjacent couch and covered her up so she wouldn't get cold. Noticing the glasses hanging on the bridge of her nose, I pulled them off as well and set them on the side table where she could easily find them.

I returned to the room and walked over to where the electric lantern sat on the table. Switching it off, I closed her book, grabbed my glass of water, and wandered over to the window. "I wonder why she was staying up so late..." I said softly to myself.

Gazing out the window, my eyes swept across the peaceful scenery. The entire grounds was glistening, and I remembered the rain that had started as I was going to bed and ended as I was falling asleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "I don't see why she would-"

My eyes snapped back to the driveway, perfectly illuminated by the moon. It was empty. Not only was it empty, but no fresh tire tracks marked the wet asphalt.

Kyoko's voice sounded in my mind.

"My parents won't be home for a while so don't be alarmed if you hear some movement from downstairs. They're going to one of the after parties my mom was invited to for Fashion Week."

It was a not-so-distant memory. Kyoko had mentioned it after she had set up our sleeping arrangements.

So that's why she stayed up. She was waiting for her parents. And they still aren't home...

I headed back upstairs to my room, thinking about Kyoko the entire time. I only took a brief sip of my water before setting it on the bedside table. I stood there for a moment, staring down at Hikaru, who was still sprawled out across the bed.

Firmly pushing some of his limbs, I eventually cleared a space for me. I laid down and stared at the ceiling for a while before rolling onto my side, closing my eyes and promptly falling asleep.

Before doing so, however, one last thought crossed my mind.

Mizushima Kyoko...you're not so mysterious after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Thanks so much to all the people who have reviewed this story! It's greatly appreciated!(: Read and review, please!**

My eyes fluttered open to the sunlight shining brightly through the window. I stretched my arms and legs, yawning as I blinked away the sleep from my eyes. A throbbing sensation pulsated in the small of my back, and I groaned at the familiar feeling. Hikaru had kicked me off the bed...again. I rubbed my face, before using the window sill to haul myself up. I took notice to the empty, twisted covers on the bed and stumbled out to go find my missing twin.

Leaving my room, I navigated my way back the dining room, familiar with the path thanks to my early morning excursion.

The clang of chinaware drifted through the doorway as I got closer. I stopped, just out of view and looked down at myself. I wasn't wearing a shirt and my pants were wrinkled from sleep. I wiggled my toes against the cold, tile floor. I had forgotten my slippers, too.

Backtracking upstairs, I changed into something more acceptable and headed back downstairs. The silk pajamas I was wearing were perfectly tailored to me, but the pants were purposefully long so that the very bottom swished against the floor.

Padding into the room, I gazed around. Everyone was accounted for and nearly halfway through breakfast. Taking the empty seat next to Hikaru, I grabbed myself a plate stacked high with high-quality pancakes.

Hikaru glanced over at me. He was nearly finished with his eggs and had started on his toast. "You sure took your time getting down here. Or were you sleeping the entire time?"

I took the syrup and poured the perfect amount onto the top of the stack. "I needed more sleep to make up for the lack of quality," I replied stiffly.

Hikaru blushed. "It's not my fault you always sleep on the floor!"

I started cutting into the pancakes, refusing to look at him. "Oh, right, I forgot that your foot doesn't count as a part of you."

"Look, I'm sorry I kicked you off the bed. It's not like I did it on purpose, though."

"Tell that to my aching back," I replied, stuffing a forkful of pancake into my mouth.

Hikaru fell silent, continuing to eat his breakfast quietly.

Glancing around at the rest of the table, I saw Haruhi quickly look away and knew that she had been listening to the entire conversation. I hunched my shoulders. It wasn't like it was a secret that we slept together or that Hikaru was a terrible bedmate. I wasn't sure why she was pretending not to have heard. Probably out of general courtesy. Either that or she's not used to us actually fighting over something...

"So, Kyoko, when did you end up going to bed last night? I know you told us you were going to wait up for your parents. I hope you didn't end up staying up too late," Haruhi said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up and saw Kyoko smile sheepishly at Haruhi, who was sitting right next to her.

"I ended up falling asleep at the dining room table," she confessed, blushing. "I didn't even get to see my parents come home. Although they must have noticed the light on in the dining room because I woke up in the parlor room right next door."

I ducked my head and smiled to myself, trying desperately to hold back a chuckle. Let her think that her parents moved her to a more comfortable spot. It'll be my little secret. Besides, I get the feeling that her parents don't get the chance to do all that much for her. It won't hurt to give her this much.

"Kaoru..." Hikaru murmured beside me.

I glanced up, surprised. "Yeah? What is it, Hikaru?"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I blushed. Shoot. It must have looked like I was crying rather than chuckling to myself. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, smiling at him to make sure he knew that I was okay.

He hesitated for a moment, but then nodded at me, returning the smile. "So what are we going to do today, Boss?"

"Why are you asking me? Ask Kyoya. He never screws anything up," Tamaki mumbled in a downtrodden tone. He continued to huddle in his rejection corner, wallowing in self-pity.

All eyes shifted to Kyoya.

He shrugged. "Well, it's true."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Senpai, stop sulking and eat your breakfast. Your eggs are getting cold."

Tamaki didn't budge. "No, I'm a failure. I don't deserve breakfast."

Haruhi smacked her fork down on the table, exasperated. "Tamaki, you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself! You made a mistake! Get over it! All of us are going to go explore Paris today, and we're going to have fun doing it! Stop being an idiot and eat your breakfast!"

Tamaki's eyes widened, and he quickly scurried to the table. He began shoveling down the eggs as Haruhi brushed off her pajamas and smiled with satisfaction.

"Now I'm going to go get ready. See you all in a few!"

* * *

We all congregated in the foyer, chatting until Kyoya, the last person to arrive, joined us.

Tamaki clasped his hands together, silencing the group. "So are we all ready to explore the beautiful streets of Paris?" he announced with a smile.

Scattered words of agreement erupted from the group, but as we were heading for the door, a voice stopped us.

"Hey, shouldn't we ask Kyoko if she wants to come? After all, she is letting us stay in her house," Haruhi said, blinking back at the rest of us as though it were an obvious courtesy.

"Yeah, let's invite Kyo-chan!" Hunny shouted excitedly. "Kyo-chan! Kyo-chan!" he called, hopping up and down.

Kyoko emerged from the parlor, a book wrapped in her arms. Her loose curls cascaded down over her shoulders. She wore a yellow sundress that fell down to her knees and little, white flats. She pushed her prescription glasses up on her nose. "I heard my name?"

Haruhi grinned at their hostess. "We were wondering if you wanted to come sightseeing with us!"

Kyoko gave an appreciative smile, but shook her head. "No, that's okay. You all go on without me."

"Oh, have you reserved plans for today?" Kyoya questioned, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, I was going to wait and see if my parents would stop by this afternoon. They promised to take me-" Kyoko began, beaming, but was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone in the parlor.

She excused herself and disappeared into the other room. The soft murmurings of a phone conversation lasted only for a minute, before she returned. Kyoko tapped her phone against her book, biting her lip.

Haruhi tilted her head."Is everything alright?"

Kyoko attempted a weak smile, but it was ridiculously transparent. "Well, it looks as though my schedule just became free," she confessed.

I studied her face. Her smile wavered the slightest bit, and her eyes clouded over with yet another disappointment.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Haruhi replied sympathetically.

"It's okay. They're busy. It happens," Kyoko sighed, shrugging.

How often "it happens" is the real question...

Hikaru glanced over at my stiff posture, but I pretended I hadn't noticed so that he wouldn't bother me about it.

Tamaki stepped forward, grinning warmly. "Well, since you're free, would you like to come with us?"

"No, I think I'll just hang out here today. Besides, I really want to finish my book," Kyoko said.

Tamaki approached her, placing his hand on her back. He gently led her toward our group, ignoring her reluctant shuffling. "Come on, a pretty girl like you shouldn't sit around the house all day. You don't know when you're going to be in Paris again," he answered.

A blush painted her cheeks, and she bit her lip thoughtfully. A few seconds of silence passed, but eventually she looked over at Haruhi. "Do you think I could hang out with you?"

Haruhi gave one of her signature grins. "Of course! It'll be fun!"

"Okay, then. Let's go!" Tamaki said.

Excitement exploded throughout the room, and all of us were quick to fly out the door.

Although I was a few yards ahead of Haruhi and Kyoko, I still was able to make out what Kyoko whispered.

"You won't let the twins bother me?"

Haruhi chuckled and nodded. "I promise. You'll be with me the whole time."

I slid into the limo, smirking to myself. This is going to be fun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Hey guys, thank you to all who review to this story! It really means a lot. I hope you like this chapter. It's pivotal in the plot. Read and review please(:**

"Hey, Haruhi, lets go in here! We haven't been in a commoner's store yet!" Hikaru and I called over. We pressed our faces against the store's window, viewing the wide variety of clothing displayed inside.

Haruhi looked over at us, stopping in the middle of a conversation she was having with Kyoko. Walking over beside me, she gazed into the store. She grimaced. "That's not a commoner's store. It's way too expensive."

We squinted into the display window, trying to get a better look at their wares.

"Really? The clothing is so cheap and low-quality-" Hikaru started.

"Are you really so poor that you can't even afford this?" I finished.

Haruhi's cheeks flushed with irritation. "Just because I can't spend money left and right doesn't mean I'm poor!"

Hikaru leaned into my ear. "Wait, is 'poor' politically correct?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I think she's just sensitive about it. Touchy subject, you know?" I whispered back.

Haruhi hunched her shoulders and continued to walk down the sidewalk. "Damn rich people," she mumbled.

Kyoko quickened her pace to catch up with her friend, falling into step behind her.

Hikaru and I laughed and gave each other high-fives.

Tamaki stepped up beside us and looked at us curiously. "Did you guys see where Hunny and Mori went?"

We glanced at each other, then back at Tamaki and shrugged. "How should we know?" we chorused.

Kyoya, who had just caught up with us, said, "I believe they stopped in at the sweet shop back down the road. I doubt we'll be seeing them again anytime soon."

"You'd think that after Hunny's last cavity, he'd go easy on the sweets," I said dryly.

"Yeah. He's just asking for another one," Hikaru added.

"That may be, but I would assume that's why Mori accompanied him. Hunny's health is his top priority, after all," Kyoya stated, pushing his glasses up his nose matter-of-factly.

I sighed, leaning back on the wall of the commoner's store.

Hikaru, following suit, leaned on his elbow which was propped up on my shoulder. Crossing his legs casually, he drawled, "Can we keep walking?"

"As fun as playing the role of a GPS is..." I continued.

"Isn't that why we have Kyoya?" Hikaru finished.

"I'm afraid that would be incorrect. My role here is to keep everyone in line and on budget. Can't have the Host Club spiraling into debt because of some rather superfluous spending by a few of the more careless members." Kyoya smiled.

"It's amazing how he can smile so cheerfully-" I grumbled.

"-while insulting all of us to our faces," Hikaru finished.

"Awww, look at how cute he is!"

The exclamation from further ahead made us all turn our heads in surprise. Walking towards the sound of the commotion, we found Haruhi and Kyoko standing outside a pet shop. Gathering around them, we stared at a husky puppy, the object of their adoration.

"What's so exciting about this?" Hikaru asked bluntly.

"Oh, come on, Hikaru," Haruhi answered happily. "Don't tell me you can look into that face and sincerely say that it isn't cute."

Hikaru and I stepped closer to the glass and stared down at the puppy.

The little husky stared back up at us and then struggled to its feet. It panted a little and then yipped, jumping a little as it did so. Then, as it landed back on its paws, it must have lost its balance because it toppled over. It blinked at us, still lying on its back, and whined.

"I guess it is kind of cute," Hikaru admitted reluctantly.

"For a ball of fur," I added.

All of a sudden Tamaki shoved us to the side and clasped his hands together as he watched the husky puppy's antics. "It's so cute! I just have to have it!"

Before any of us could stop him, he ran into the store.

Haruhi turned to Kyoya. "Please stop him before he does something stupid. He already has that greyhound from the other day that he doesn't know what to do with."

Kyoya sighed. "I'll see what I can do." He calmly followed Tamaki into the store, calling after him as he disappeared through the door.

"Not entirely sure how we didn't see that one coming," I stated flatly.

"In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to bring him shopping," Haruhi agreed.

Hikaru and I shoved our hands into our pockets.

"Let's keep moving," Hikaru suggested.

"It'll be awhile until Kyoya manages to drag the Boss out of there," I continued.

"Besides-"

"We're bored," we said simultaneously, staring at the girls.

"Fine, but try to keep out of trouble," Haruhi warned.

"We'll try."

"No promises."

The four of us continued down the rows of shops, stopping to admire a couple, but never going into any. Kyoko always kept a quicker pace with Haruhi to avoid having to walk with us. That was a big mistake. We thought Kyoko was smarter than that.

Hikaru and I glanced at each other, nodded, then came up behind Kyoko, sandwiching her in between the two of us.

"So why are you wearing these glasses?" I asked, tapping the frames.

"They really don't suit you," Hikaru pointed out.

"Yeah, thin-rimmed frames would accent your eyes better. Although no glasses would be even better," I suggested, reaching for the glasses.

She jerked her head away from me and narrowed her eyes. "I thought it would be obvious, but I guess I have to dumb it down for you two. I use them because I have bad eyesight. I can't see without them," Kyoko replied slowly.

"Well, you look better without them. No guy is going to look twice at you with those glasses on," Hikaru said bluntly.

"Well, what does it matter? I'm not trying to impress anyone, especially not you two, so back off," Kyoko snapped, crossing her arms.

"Ah, but you're so pretty otherwise. It's a shame that you insist on wearing those glasses. Tell us, does Miss Mizushima have a boyfriend?" we whispered in her ears.

Kyoko cringed, shoving us in opposite directions. "It's none of your business. Now leave me alone!"

Hikaru gave a crooked smile. "Kaoru, it seems that Miss Mizushima has her eyes on someone."

I laughed. "It appears so. But being the daughter of a fashion designer, she should know impressions are everything. Especially at Ouran Academy. So far you haven't made a great one on us."

"You little-" She began, but Hikaru and I each held up a finger.

"Ah, ah, ah, Miss Mizushima. You have to be nice to us. Our mothers work together, and it would be a shame if you said something that would magically change that," we chorused slyly, our fingers wagging from side to side.

Her face flushed with anger, but then she smirked. "That may be so, but that's also a two way street. Correct, Missure Hitachiin?"

We grinned back. "Correct, Mademoiselle Mizushima."

She certainly was one of our smarter toys.

"Hey, look at this!" Haruhi said, pointing to a display window.

All three of us wandered over to the store, following her gaze. It was an elegant, white, porcelain tea set. The rim of the teacups were lined with a shiny, gold border, and delicate blue orchids decorated the exterior.

"Look how nice it is. I love the design," Haruhi said, her fingertips grazing the window.

"Yeah, it's nice. You should go buy it," Kyoko suggested, nodding toward the store.

Haruhi shook her head. "No, it's too expensive. Besides, it's not very practical."

"How so?" I asked, leaning closer to the window to get a better look.

"Well, it's way too fancy for just everyday use," she explained.

"It looks like the kind of set we would use as a fallback set," Hikaru said bluntly.

Hikaru and I glanced over at her and saw her eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

After a moment, Hikaru nudged her. "Come on, Haruhi." He grabbed her by the wrist and began towing her toward the entrance of the store.

"What are you doing?!" Haruhi exclaimed, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

"I'm going to buy you that tea set."

Haruhi stopped. "What...?"

"Haruhi, you really must try to keep up. Now I'm going to say this slowly so you understand. I'm buying you that tea set."

"No, it's way too expensive. I can't pay you back," she argued, shaking her head.

"You don't have to pay me back. It's a gift," he answered, leaning in the store's doorway.

"A gift for what?"

"I don't know. Don't commoner's get gifts on random occasions?" Hikaru questioned.

"No."

"Well, I'm not a commoner. So I can do what I want." With that, Hikaru forced Haruhi into the store, no questions asked.

I looked over at Kyoko.

"You can go look at boring chinaware if you want, but let them know I'm going to be over there," I stated, motioning over to a cafe a couple stores down.

She grimaced, looking between the store and me.

I stifled a chuckle at the conflicted look on her face. What would be the lesser of the two evils?

I turned and began walking down the street toward the cafe. If she wants to come, she can catch up... I was about halfway to the cafe when I heard heavy footsteps on the sidewalk as she ran to catch up.

I grinned as she fell to a walk beside me. "I see that you decided to join me," I said casually, smirking.

"Don't flatter yourself. I would just rather not be alone in an unfamiliar place," she answered logically.

"Don't worry I'll protect you," I teased, putting an arm around her shoulders.

She jerked away out of reach. "Keep your distance. I can take care of myself thank you very much."

* * *

We perused the case of sweets in the front. It was filled with croissants, eclairs, beignets, macarons, and many other delicious pastries.

I glanced over at Kyoko as she looked over all the treats, her eyes bright like a child's. "So what do you want?"

She looked at me warily. "Why?"

I gazed down at the array of sweets in the display case. "I'll buy you something."

Kyoko crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air. "No way."

My eyebrows twitched in irritation as I turned to face her. "You're telling me that nothing in here looks even remotely appetizing?"

"No."

The clerk behind the counter shot us a nasty look.

I smirked. Even as she was denying that nothing looked good, I had noticed her sneak a peek at the beignets.

I turned to the clerk. "I'll take four beignets and a chocolate milk."

As I took the white paper bag the cashier handed to me, I could see Kyoko looking at me curiously out of the corner of my eye. I smirked as I paid for the food. She's too proud for her own good. We spotted a large, empty booth in the corner to sit at. I laid out my beignets on the paper bag and quickly popped one in my mouth.

"Mmm...these are really good," I mumbled through the powdered pastry.

Kyoko's eyes shifted from her book, but fell back down, glaring at its pages.

"I wish the rest of the Host Club was here to try these. These are the best beignets I've ever tasted. It would sure be a shame if someone missed out on these delectable pastries because they were too proud to admit that they would like one," I said, a little too loud to be taken seriously.

Kyoko slammed her book shut and smacked it down on the table. She held out her hand. "Fine. Can I have one?"

I tapped my fingers against the table and gave an exaggerated thinking face. "I don't know, there might not be enough..."

Her jaw dropped. "How can there not be enough? There's four! You can't eat all of them by yourself!" Kyoko protested.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Of course I can't eat them all by myself, but I know six Host Club members who would be glad to help. Friends first, right?" I taunted.

"Stop being childish and just give me one already!" she demanded.

"Hmmm...you're not being very convincing. Actually, you're being kind of rude," I teased.

"Can I please have a beignet?" Kyoko asked through gritted teeth.

I licked my lips in thought. "On one condition."

"What?" she groaned.

"You have to say: Would you pretty please give me a beignet, Hikaru? After all, you are the best twin ever because you're so handsome, charming, and you were nice enough to buy these sweets for us!" I said.

Kyoko tilted her head. "But why would I say that? You're Kaoru."

I froze.

How could she tell that I was Kaoru, not Hikaru? The only person that could really tell us apart was Haruhi. Not to mention when we tried to play the 'Which One's Hikaru?' game with her, she refused. Why didn't she play if she can tell us apart? What did she have to lose? It doesn't make sense.

I leaned back in my chair, attempting to hide my shock and act casual. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm Hikaru." I ran my hand through my hair. "Although I am curious as to why you seem so sure that the opposite is true."

"You two may be annoying, but you're annoying in very different ways," she said simply, playing with the frame of her glasses.

I raised my eyebrows. "Such as?"

All our life we have been told that we are exactly alike. That was always peoples' excuse for getting us confused. But here, sitting right before me, is someone saying that we are very different. How?

"Don't get me wrong you two are still very alike, but you're different at the same time. You are much more reserved than Hikaru. You like for him to take the lead. You're also more mature. It's slightly more difficult when the two of you are together, but it's painfully obvious when you're apart.

I could tell by the way you've been acting you're more cool and rational than he is. Hikaru has a temper and doesn't control his emotions as well as you do. For example, when I called your bluff, you didn't show too much emotion. I could see a split second of surprise, but you caught yourself and your face went blank again as you calmed yourself down. Hikaru wouldn't have been as composed. It's all about observation," Kyoko explained.

I blinked in mock surprise. "I think that's the first thing you said to me that wasn't soaked in venom."

She smirked. "Don't get used to it. Just because I can tell you two apart, doesn't mean I like you. Now how about handing me one of those beignets, Kaoru."

"Well, if you don't like me, then the only remaining explanation for it is that you like being right," I commented, handing her over a pastry.

She made a face at me in response.

Just as I handed her one of the small, powdered donuts, Hikaru and Haruhi walked with a large shopping bag.

"Hey, Kaoru. I'm surprised you're still alive. I thought she would have bitten your head off by now," Hikaru chuckled, walking over to the table.

"Actually, quite the contrary. We were having a very nice conversation. She claims to be able to tell us apart. Apparently we have different personalities," I said with a smile.

Hikaru snorted. "It's more likely that she memorized which way our parts go. We haven't switched them in a while."

"Are you implying that I lied about how I could tell you two apart?" Kyoko interjected, irritated.

"I'm not implying anything. I'm saying you lied. No one can tell us apart except Haruhi."

"I did not!" Kyoko exclaimed indignantly.

Hikaru smiled mischievously at her. "Fine, then. Let's play the 'Which one's Hikaru game.'"

No, dangerous waters, Hikaru, dangerous waters.

She stared at him coldly.

"Hikaru, maybe you should back o-" Haruhi started.

"What, don't want to play?" Hikaru taunted, his hands on his hips.

"I've already lost," she said, glaring at him.

Hikaru wagged his finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah. You haven't played yet. If you haven't played, you haven't lost."

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, eyes flickering between the two of us.

We crossed our arms. "Of course, you're Mizushima Kyoko. What kind of game are you-"

"No, do you remember me?"

We froze.

"Do you remember me?" she repeated. Her voice wasn't kind. Each syllable dripped with contempt.

Nausea gripped my stomach. I looked at her, examining every detail of her face, but nothing came to mind. I glanced over at Hikaru, my eyes pleading with him to bail me out like he always did, but I could tell from the look on his face that he was at a loss, too.

We remained silent.

"Just like I thought, she said, before standing and pushing her way through Haruhi and Hikaru.

I jumped to me feet and reached out, catching her wrist. "Kyoko, wait."

She spun around and yanked her wrist back. "Leave me alone." Without another word, she sprinted out of the cafe and disappeared down the street.

Hikaru and I stood there, stunned. All we could do was watch.

Perhaps we played a game with her...but who?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Thanks to all the wonderful reviews we have gotten! You guys are the best! Please continue to read and review! :)**

"Do you think we should go out looking for her?" Haruhi questioned, standing at the window. Warm rain trickled down the glass, setting a steady rhythm against the house.

"How long has she been gone?" Hunny asked, hugging his Bun-Bun close.

"Five hours. She missed dinner," I replied.

"And she's not answering her cell phone," Haruhi added. She brought her hand to her forehead and sighed. "It's already seven. I'm starting to worry."

"Poor, Kyo-chan. I hope she didn't get caught in the rain," Hunny murmured, peering through the window.

Mori placed a reassuring hand on his head.

"Well, she hasn't called either one of her limos. One would think she has," Kyoya commented, typing on his laptop.

"You don't have to sound so indifferent about it," Haruhi muttered, grimacing.

"I'm merely stating the facts, Haruhi. No need to get all ruffled about it. I believe the phrase is 'Don't shoot the messenger'?"

Hikaru stayed silent, sitting next to me on one of the far parlor loungers. His hands rested on his knees, but his grip was too tight for him to be relaxed. He lowered his eyes to the floor. His ginger bangs fell into his eyes, but he didn't bother brushing them away.

I sighed, gazing out the window. I could tell that he was more angry than anything, at both Kyoko and himself. No doubt he was having flashbacks to his date with Haruhi.

Tamaki raised his head from its previous stooped position and glared at Hikaru. "Why am I not surprised that one of you two troublemakers started something? This is your fault you know," he muttered. His usually kind, violet eyes were now as stormy as the clouds outside.

Hikaru's whole body tensed. His knuckles turned white as he struggled to contain himself. "She started it."

Tamaki got to his feet. "Really? Because according to Haruhi, you started it. I don't know what past issue you guys have, but you really couldn't let it go for one weekend? Especially the weekend she opened her home to us! She didn't have to let us stay here, you know. Then, not only did you somehow insult her, you didn't even attempt to go after her when she ran out of the cafe," he ranted.

Hikaru lifted his head. "It's not like she would have listened to me even if I had caught up to her!"

"What you did was irresponsible! I can't believe-"

"Hey, Boss? Lay off, okay?" I said softly.

Tamaki looked surprised for a moment by my interruption, then grimaced. "Hmph."

"If you don't mind my asking, what did you guys even do to her?" Haruhi asked.

The rest of the Host Club stopped what they were doing and stared at the two of us, waiting for a response.

Hikaru turned his head to look at her. "How should we know?"

"Well, from what she said, it sounded like you guys knew her in the past," she explained.

I glanced over at Hikaru. He had fallen silent and was glaring at the floor again. I sighed. It was clear that he was done with this conversation. Meeting Haruhi's gaze I answered for him. "We don't know."

The ringing of Haruhi's cell phone sliced through the awkward silence that had followed my incredibly unhelpful explanation.

Haruhi snatched it up from the arm of the chair next to her, answering on the first ring. "Hello?" She paused, pressing the phone hard to her ear. "Are you okay? Where are you?" There was another, longer pause before she said, "Okay, sounds good. See you in a little. Bye."

"Was that Kyo-chan?" Hunny asked anxiously, squeezing Usa-chan tightly.

Haruhi looked up from her phone. "Yeah. She says she's going to call one of her limos to come pick her up. She should be home soon."

Tamaki ran a hand through his hair. "I'll go try and find some of the staff; see if they can have some nice, hot tea ready for when she returns." With that, he turned around and left the room, his footsteps echoing before eventually fading.

I turned my head in surprise as Hikaru got to his feet, his eyes still fixed firmly on the ground. His hands were clenched into fists and his whole body was tense. Without saying a word, he stalked stiffly out of the room.

I watched him leave, making no attempt to grab at or stop him as he did so. He needed some time to cool off, away from the rest of the Host Club. He needed time to sort through his emotions and get everything in line before someone set him off for real.

Pulling myself heavily to my feet, I held up a hand in parting to the remaining members and followed my twin back up to our room.

* * *

"I didn't do anything wrong," Hikaru said defensively the second I walked through the door. He was seated on the edge of the bed, facing the door.

Carefully closing the door behind me, I held up a hand in surrender, "I know you feel that way. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what you did wrong either. Then again, I think we're missing something."

"We never miss things," he brooded, leaning back on his hands.

"We have to have this time. Otherwise it doesn't make any sense," I reasoned.

"She could just be emotionally unstable."

"That would be you."

"She could be mistaken."

"That would be us."

"She could be crazy!" Hikaru argued, getting irritated by my playing devil's advocate.

"That could also be us."

He smirked. "That's always been us," he chuckled. "We've always been the mischievous ones that no one understood. We've always been a pair, observing others from the outside. So how did this..."

"...come back to bite us," I finished, sighing. I leaned back against the door, crossing my legs and arms.

He met my gaze. "Where is she from?"

"Our past," I drawled, bored.

"So they say."

"So they all say."

"Because they believe her."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Would you?"

"Why wouldn't I? She has no reason to lie about this-"

"-that we know of," he pointed out flatly.

I paused. "That doesn't mean she is."

His brows furrowed. "Then where is she from?" he spat, frustrated. "I don't remember her!"

"Neither do I."

"Then how can she be from our past if neither of us remember her?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Can you honestly say you remember much from our past?"

He shot me an irritated look. "Of course I can. Don't play these games with m-"

"Things that didn't have to do with us," I interrupted.

He fell silent.

I looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "She said she'd already lost. What do you think that means?"

"How should I know?" he asked, the frustration replaced by confusion.

I shrugged. Pushing myself off the wall, I sauntered over to the wardrobe. I pulled my shirt off over my head and changed into a pair of pajama pants. Hikaru brushed past me on my way to the bed. I stretched out, my hands behind my head, and closed my eyes.

"We should apologize," I said softly, breaking the silence.

I didn't have to open my eyes to know that he was scowling at me. "Why us?"

"Sorry, you're right. You should apologize."

"Why me, then?" he asked edgily. Although his tone was sharp, I could hear the underlying sincerity in his voice.

I scooched over to one side as I felt him get in the bed. "Even though we don't remember her, that doesn't mean we didn't do anything. It's not going to help if you continue to be so stubborn. You're just going to ruin your relationship with her."

I felt him shift as he turned on his side to look at me. "What relationship?" he asked flatly.

I sighed, opening my eyes. "You know what I mean."

He fell silent.

We laid there for several moments, each lost in our own thoughts.

"You don't want to go downstairs and welcome her back?" I finally asked.

"She wouldn't want to see either of us."

"Not even to make sure she's okay?"

"No."

A knock at the door closely followed Hikaru's refusal.

"Come in," we said simultaneously.

The door opened to reveal none other than Haruhi.

We smiled deviously. "Fancy seeing you here, Haruhi. Come to get a bit of our brotherly love?"

She grimaced, still standing in the doorway. "No. That's why Tamaki followed my up here." She reached into the hallway and pulled a struggling Tamaki out from the shadows.

He was mostly incoherent except for the occasional 'perverted,' 'devils,' and 'little girl' comments that we managed to make out. For the most part, we just ignored him.

"Anyway," Haruhi continued, "I wanted to let you guys know that Kyoko got back safe and sound. She's gone up to bed now."

"Great," Hikaru said moodily.

Haruhi's brows furrowed, but she held her tongue. "I also wanted to tell you guys that she said something about a past game, whatever that means."

"Well, that's helpful," Hikaru muttered sarcastically.

"You know, I didn't have to come up here and tell you guys that," Haruhi snapped. "So you could at least quit being jerks for two minutes!" She quickly turned on her heel and stormed out of sight.

Hikaru and I laid there, looking at the space where Haruhi had been.

Tamaki moved as if to follow her, but paused in the doorway and turned to face us. "Sometimes our past catches up to us. It's what we do with it that matters."

We watched as he left, closing the door behind him.

I turned to Hikaru. "What do we do now?"

He stared at me for a moment before answering. "Sleep. We can deal with this tomorrow."

He turned out the light and pulled the covers over him, turning to face the other direction.

I closed my eyes and laid there for awhile, not able to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Hey guys! I know you're dying to know why Kyoko is so upset with Kaoru, but you'll just have to read it for yourself(: Also SUPER IMPORTANT: I am holding a poll that can be found on my profile. It pertains to this story and I would really appreciate it you guys would vote! ****Thanks to all the wonderful, amazing, fantastic people who have reviewed this story so far! You guys are great! Continue to read and review please! Without further ado, chapter 8!**

It had been nearly a week since we left Paris, and Kyoko had yet to show up at the Host Club. I caught her talking with Haruhi a handful of times, but whenever we locked eyes, she would disappear. All I wanted to do was talk to her about that day she ran out of the cafe. I was starting to feel as though I would never get the chance.

Thud.

I snapped back to reality, my eyes instantly flying to the source of the loud noise.

A girl was sprawled out in the middle of the hallway, her books strewn across the spotless floor. Students sauntered on by, not even giving the girl a second glance.

I sighed. I had a free period, so in theory, I really had nowhere to be. Besides, I would take any kind of procrastination opportunity when it came to boring Host Club business. Tamaki hadn't let Hikaru and I have any fun since Paris.

The bell rang.

I walked over to the girl and slowly bent down to help gather her books. I picked up one and turned it over to read the title. My brows furrowed in thought. Something about this book seemed eerily familiar.

Pride and Prejudice.

I fingered its cover and then turned to the girl.

"Hey, are you okay? I saw you took a pretty nasty fall there." I held out the book to her. "Here, I have your-" I started.

We both froze.

Her hair toppled down into loose curls and her blue eyes stared at me in surprise. She no longer wore thick, black glasses, but there was no mistaking her for anyone else.

"Kyoko!" I exclaimed, clutching the book.

Her eyes widened. As she turned to run away, I caught her by the crook of her arm.

"Wait, don't run away!" I pleaded as she yanked herself free.

She spun around, glaring. "What do you want?"

I stood confidently, staring her directly in the eyes. "I want to talk."

Kyoko snorted. "After what happened in Paris, what would make you think that I'd ever want to talk to you again?"

"I know you're upset, but-"

"I'm not upset."

"Okay, I know you're perfectly fine, but we need to talk this out. You have a free period now, right?" I asked.

Kyoko pressed her books tightly to her chest. "Yeah, so?"

"I do, too. Let's go talk."

* * *

I led Kyoko into the dressing room of the Host Club, wanting to escape the prying eyes and ears of Tamaki, Kyoya, Haruhi, and Hikaru who also had a free period during this time.

"Can you guys just wait here for awhile? We need a place to talk," I requested, poking my head out of the dressing room.

I shot a warning look at Tamaki, demanding that he keep his princely ears out of our conversation.

They all nodded, before continuing to discuss different cosplay ideas.

I retreated back behind the curtain and turned to Kyoko, who was pacing the floor. I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms and legs nonchalantly.

"You know, I haven't seen you since that day in Paris. How have you been?" I questioned, trying to ease slowly into the conversation.

Baby steps.

She paused for a moment and chuckled bitterly. "Let's quit all the formalities and get down to business."

I shook my head. "No, I'm being serious. What have you been doing with yourself? You haven't shown up at the Host Club for awhile."

"I was sick for a couple days from walking around Paris in the rain. Then for the rest of the week I've gone home and read. Not that it's any of your concern," she scoffed, crossing her arms.

I frowned. It was only now I noticed that her nose was a faint red color, and she shivered as if she was cold. I raised an eyebrow. "You still look sick to me. Are you running a fever?"

She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "I'm fine, now, if we're done discussing my health, I'd like to talk about the real reason you brought me here," she paused, smirking, "do you remember me?"

I didn't return the smile, but nodded. "Yes."

"Enlighten me, Mr. Hitachiin. I'm curious if you succeeded in my game," Kyoko said slyly.

I pushed myself up from the wall and linked my hands behind my back. "We played a game with you. An awful game in middle school...I remember it vaguely, so you'll have to explain some of the more fuzzy details. You used to have a crush on me in our 2nd year. You wrote me a letter and told me to meet you outside in the courtyard the next day. I pretended to be Hikaru and tricked you into thinking that you had put it in his desk by mistake. I proceeded to fool you into thinking that he liked you, and that I didn't because I liked someone else. You of course, like all the other girls, believed me and agreed to like me instead of him. After that, I called for Hikaru to come out of the bushes where he was listening to the whole thing. We...uh...made fun of you and teased you for confusing us. I remember we were so disgusted. How could the person that was supposed to like us so much, betray us for our brother? We then ripped up your letter and threw it in your face...I don't remember much after that," I admitted, shifting uncomfortably.

Her whole body tensed as I rehashed the details, bringing back painful memories of that day. Kyoko's hands balled into fists, her knuckles a sickening white. Her body trembled with rage that threatened to explode at any moment.

I didn't dare approach her. "Kyoko...?" I whispered.

"I liked you, Kaoru. I honestly liked you. It may have been stupid, ridiculous puppy love, but it still hurt me," Kyoko murmured.

"I know. I understand-" I began, but she cut me off with a rage I had never seen before.

"No! Don't you dare say you, of all people, the one who did this to me, understands!" she yelled.

I surrendered my hands in front of me. "I-"

"Let me finish, Kaoru. You owe me at least that," Kyoko said, a dangerous tone edging her voice.

I nodded silently, motioning for her to continue.

"Girls in our class would always talk about you and Hikaru behind your backs. They'd say awful things. They used to call you horrible, antisocial, freaks, homos, and worst of all...they used to talk about mean jokes you would play on other girls. I didn't believe them though. Call me, naive, dumb, blinded by love, whatever, but I refused to believe that you would do those things. I defended both of you. Every nasty word they said, I backed both of you up. And then, that day you met me in the courtyard, changed everything. The second you lied and said you were Hikaru crushed me. I waited for the punchline or the good-natured "I got you! You should have seen the look on your face!", but one never came . All of what they said was true. I had spent so much of my breath trying to defuse those rumors about you, but they were all true. You betrayed me," Kyoko said with an eerie lack of emotion.

My eyes widened. "You knew I was Kaoru...?" I questioned in an almost inaudible whisper.

She nodded. "I lied. I knew you were Kaoru the entire time."

"But why?"

"I didn't want to win. I didn't want to be right. I didn't care anymore. I wanted to lose. I led you on to believe that I thought you were Hikaru just so you could laugh and enjoy your worthless victory. But the icing on the cake, the last heartless jab, was when you ripped up that letter and threw it back in my face. At that moment, all that time I had spent thinking, talking, praying, hoping, and defending you had been literally thrown back in my face and laughed at," Kyoko explained.

Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears that I knew would never fall. She was too strong to show any kind of weakness.

My stomach churned in my abdomen, and my heart raced against the clock ticking on the wall. Perspiration formed on my brow and palms, and my hands quivered slightly. I jammed them into my pockets so they weren't visible to Kyoko.

I licked my lips. "But why do all that for us after what we did to you? Who would do that for people that just humiliated them?"

Kyoko threw her head back and laughed. "You're still as thick as you were in middle school, aren't you?" she giggled.

"What...?" I inquired, biting my lip.

"You still don't get it do you? Nearly two years, and you still don't get it..."

My face flushed with irritation. I didn't like these mind games she was playing. "What don't I get?"

She strode up to me, and I pulled back, afraid that she might get violent. Instead though, very calmly, she took my face in her hands.

"You needed to win that game much more than I did. You see, Kaoru, when you...for the lack of a better word...love someone, you're willing to give up a lot for them. Including pride," she said quietly.

"You said that you gave up on us though," I recounted, strangely stilled by her gentle hands.

She shook her head. "Yes, I gave up on you, but I still loved you. It was when you threw that letter back in my face and mocked me that forced me to resent you."

Time stood still. Our cheeks burned with a blush. All of a sudden, Kyoko cleared her throat and let her hands fall down to her sides.

"No matter. That was nearly two years ago, and I no longer have feelings for you. Besides, I'm still mad at you," she stated, the bitterness returning to her tone.

I stumbled back, running my fingers through my hair, trying to hide the fact that I was unbelievably flustered.

"Wait, what? You're still mad at me! I thought we just resolved things! You know, buried the hatchet and everything!" I argued.

"You now may know why I don't like you or your brother and discussed it, but that doesn't mean that everything's okay. I'm still hurt by what you did to me that day. I'm sorry, Kaoru, but it's going to take more than just talk to make things better. Now I have to go. I don't want to be late for English," Kyoko replied, gathering her books from the floor.

"Hey, wait. I have one more question..." I said, catching her arm.

"What?" Kyoko asked harshly.

"I remember there was one girl, she didn't cry like the others. She just stayed silent, but gave us a cold stare. She had piercing blue eyes that bore into us like daggers. Kyoko...was that girl you?" I asked softly.

She remained silent for a moment, giving me an icy stare. "I had squandered so much of my time on you that I wasn't about to waste any of my tears," she paused, looking deep into my eyes, "especially on someone who wasn't worth them."

I gazed at her as she left, disappearing behind the other side of the curtain. Sighing, I picked up my own books and followed her out of the dressing room. One thought crossed my mind before I was bombarded by an over-excited Tamaki.

How the hell was I going to make it up to her?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Hey guys, sorry this chapter is up so late! My sister and I have been SUPER busy so it took us a little bit longer to finish this chapter. Anyway, thank you for all your sweet reviews! We love to read them and see what you think of each chapter! So keep reading and reviewing please and without further ado, chapter 9!**

"So that's what happened," I finished. I had spent the last half hour recounting our behavior in middle school as well as the events of the last few weeks.

"What would make you ever think it's okay to do something like that?!" Haruhi exclaimed.

Hikaru and I looked at each other and then back at her. "Which part are you talking about?" we shrugged.

"All of it, but especially the games you played in middle school! It's not okay to do that to someone!" she yelled, clenching her fists.

"There's no need to shout," I said flatly.

"Besides, we were only showing them how awful they were really being. They were willing to exchange us as though we were the same person and still considered themselves our friend," Hikaru added.

"Does it really surprise you?" Kyoya cut in.

Haruhi looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

He carefully adjusted his glasses with his index and middle fingers. "Well, we know the twins to be troublemakers now, and you know of their isolated past. Does it really surprise you that they were cruel in their interactions with others when they had so little social experience?"

Haruhi frowned. "No, but-"

"We're not saying they're right," Hunny interrupted, stepping forward. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan shouldn't have done those things. That was really bad of them. I think what Kyo-chan is saying is that although they were wrong, they wouldn't have been good at interacting with others anyway." He blinked up Haruhi, waiting for her to understand what he was saying and respond.

Haruhi looked down, pausing to mull it over. "Well...I guess when you put it that way..."

"As great as this discussion is turning out to be-" Hikaru started.

"-as to whether or not we were justified in our actions-"

"-it still doesn't answer the question of-"

"-what exactly we're supposed to do," we finished together.

Tamaki ran his fingers through his hair. "So your past has finally caught up to you. I'm guessing you thought you could get away with everything, but now you're finally having to face the consequences. It was really only a matter of time before something like this happened."

"Yeah, we know all that. You're not being helpful," we chorused, slightly irritated.

"Well," Tamaki said, gesturing his hand in a way that usually signalled the start of an impassioned speech, "as members of the Host Club, it is our duty to make young ladies happy. You two shady twins-"

"We're not shady!" we exclaimed, crossing our arms.

Tamaki ignored us. "-have made a grievous offense against the amiable nature of our club. The only course of action, at this point, is to right this terrible wrong."

He pointed at Hikaru and I. "I expect your full and unquestioning cooperation."

We glanced uneasily at each other, before turning to him and asking, "With what?"

He flipped his hair and smiled smugly at us. "With my flawless plan, of course."

* * *

I leaned against the column in the grand ballroom. Tamaki had wasted no time in planning a masquerade for later that week. A royal theme had been established, with the entire Host Club dressing up as different versions of Prince Charming. Tamaki, though, being the king of the Host Club, didn't hesitate to find a crown fit for such a position. Not only that, but he had insisted on the most luxurious decorations for the masked ball.

I sighed and looked down at my tailcoats and the rapier at my side.

For Hikaru and I, the ball had come far too quickly.

I turned and looked at Haruhi, who was standing next to me, searching the crowd for Kyoko. "You're sure you invited her?"

She pulled a cell phone from the folds of her dress. "I sent her a text. Do you think she might have not seen it?"

I leaned over her shoulder and pointed at the screen. "No, that little symbol there means that she read the text. Or at least opened it."

Flipping it closed, she returned it to the hidden pocket in her dress.

I snorted. "I still can't believe the Boss convinced you to wear that."

She looked up at me. "Well, since it's a masked ball no one will really be able to tell that it's me. I made an appearance at the very beginning so everyone knows I'm here, they'll just think they missed me in the crowd. Besides, it's a lot better than what Tamaki had planned for me to wear as a guy."

I shrugged. "You should have let Hikaru and I pick out something for you to wear. Our mom is a fashion designer."

"I'm not going to mooch off of you people," she said flatly.

"But you have no problem mooching off of the Boss?" I pointed out.

She stared at me.

"Point taken."

Hikaru jogged up to us. "Kaoru, come on. Stop looking for her. She'll come if she wants to. If not, fine then."

I grimaced. "The only reason we're holding this ball is to make amends with her. If she doesn't come, the Boss will enact another of his 'flawless' plans."

He took a spot beside me. "So what's she wearing again?"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please," Tamaki announced over the light murmur of the ballroom. "We, the Host Club, have decided to give one lucky, young lady a little treat tonight. She will have the pleasure of having one solo dance with one of our mischievous twins. Her name will be announced at the end of the night. Thank you. Let the festivities begin!"

The small band of string instruments in the corner began to play an upbeat melody perfect for dancing. The gentlemen bowed to their ladies and began to elegantly whisk their dates across the floor. Ladies dresses of all different colors spun and twirled around, but none caught our eye.

None of them were Kyoko.

Hikaru and I continued to walk around the room, greeting our many customers as we went by.

"So when we had to walk home in the middle of the night, Kaoru was so scared, he began to cry!" Hikaru chuckled, surrounded by a group of regular customers.

I blushed, biting my lip and averting my gaze to the floor. "Hikaru, you're embarrassing me. You said that it would just be between us," I whimpered.

Hikaru brought his finger under my chin and lifted it up so I met his loving gaze. "I'm sorry, Kaoru. I thought it was so adorable that I just had to tell them. Forgive me, brother."

"Oh, Hikaru," I whispered.

The girls squealed with pleasure.

"So cute!" they shrieked.

Before we could continue our charade, a girlish screech erupted from the other side of the room. Hikaru and I exchanged a quick glance, knowing exactly who it was.

Hikaru gently took my arm and smiled. "Ladies, we would love to stay and chat, but we have to go find Tamaki. Have a wonderful evening!"

I gave a sheepish grin and waved as we escaped into the crowd. We weaved through the masses of dancing couples until we reached the source of the commotion.

Tamaki clung to Haruhi, staring at an unknown object on the floor. "S-S-S-Suki!" Tamaki screamed.

He attempted to climb up Haruhi's small figure and crawl into her arms.

"Senpai! What are you doing?!" Haruhi exclaimed, remaining rigid under Tamaki's flailing limbs.

He pointed an accusing finger at the object. "B-B-B-Beelzenef!" he shrieked.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and shoved Tamaki off her person. "Oh my God. It's a puppet. It's not that big of a deal, Senpai!" she snapped.

He scrambled to his feet. "No, you don't understand! Nekozawa will curse me again if he finds out Beelzenef was found in my crown! I don't want to die, Suki! I'm too young and beautiful!" Tamaki cried.

She sighed and walked over to pick up the limp, white cat puppet.

Tamaki backed away from her, glaring at it.

"First of all, you have never been cursed. Second of all, how did he get in your crown, Senpai?"

He shook his head fearfully. "I don't know. I just set it down for a couple of minutes and when I put it back on, it was in there. It must have gotten in there with some kind of dark magic," he stated, his voice going up an octave.

Hikaru and I snickered, watching the whole scene playing out before us.

Tamaki was so naive.

All of a sudden, Haruhi turned to look at us. Her eyes narrowed. "I would hate to think you two had anything to do with this," she accused, crossing her arms.

We smirked. "Of course not, Suki."

Tamaki straightened from his previous cowering position, and he pointed at the two of us. "I should have known you two shady twins were the culprits. This is the thanks I get after I put all of this together to help you reconcile with Kyoko? I'm appalled."

"We're not shady!" Hikaru and I muttered.

"And we weren't planning on thanking you-" I started.

"Because we didn't want to do this in the first place," Hikaru finished.

Tamaki stumbled a few steps back, shocked by our admittance. Hurt resonated in his features, but he didn't let it overcome his emotions. His eyes darkened, and he swept his bangs back, composing himself. "Hand me my crown," he mumbled, holding his hand out.

I retrieved it from the floor and held it out to him, but not before slipping a photo into it. Hikaru interjected grabbing the crown.

"Hey, what is this?" Hikaru questioned, pulling out the small, wallet-sized photo.

Feigning innocence, we examined it and our jaws dropped.

"Geez Boss, have you no shame?"

"Yeah, really. This is just wrong," Hikaru said, displaying the photo to Tamaki and Haruhi.

They both squinted, peering at the photo. Tamaki instantly blushed a deep crimson. He snatched the photo out of Hikaru's grasp and crumpled it.

The picture captured Haruhi in a provocative, red string bikini on the beach. It was, of course, photoshopped by the both of us; made specially for the embarrassment of our esteemed king.

"Wow, Boss, you really are a pervert," I stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Perv, perv, perv, perv, Tamaki's a little perv!" we chanted, pointing at him.

His face became even redder, and he jumped up and down in protest. "No, I'm not! I didn't make it! You guys are the pervs! You made it! Stop!" Tamaki shouted, holding his ears.

Haruhi yanked the crumpled photo from Tamaki and stuffed it into one of her dress's hidden pockets. "Okay, all of you need to grow up. Stop making pictures like this. It's childish and immature. That being said, you two stop fooling around and go find Kyoko. Tamaki...just...go," Haruhi sighed, pinching her nose.

Tamaki, still upset, ran off. "Mommy! Mommy! They're doing it again! Make those perverted, shady twins stop!" he yelled.

We both laughed, but fell silent following the scolding look Haruhi shot us. Hikaru and I glanced at each other again and groaned.

"You get that side of the room, and I got this side. She's got to be around here somewhere."

* * *

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it certainly has been an enchanting night. Since the ball is almost over, it's time to announce the lucky girl that will get a solo dance with one of the Hitachiin brothers. Without further ado, the winner is..." Tamaki announced, giving a dramatic pause, "...Princess Mizushima Kyoko!"

The crowd erupted in applause and, for the ladies, squeals of pleasure.

Tamaki scanned the room. "Kyoko, would you please come up claim your dance?"

The room fell silent as everyone looked around at each other for the missing girl.

My palms began to perspire, and the room became very hot. I tried to calm my fidgeting fingers, but to no avail. I jammed my hands into my pockets, nervous. What if she hadn't shown up after all? What if she lied to Haruhi?

Murmurings spread throughout the ballroom, but before Tamaki could call out her name again, a young girl stumbled out into the spotlight. She tried to push her way back into the crowd, muttering harsh declines, but she kept getting shoved back in. I squinted trying to identify the two mystery girls and instantly smirked. The girl demanding to leave was Kyoko, and the one forcing her back into the light was Haruhi. Haruhi must have found Kyoko at some point in the night.

I stepped slowly down the stairs into the light and held out my hand. "May I have this dance, Miss Mizushima?"

She spun around, looking at me skeptically, but then forced a smile. "I suppose."

Kyoko donned a elegant, gold ball gown with sleeves that rested off the shoulder, looping around her upper arm. The gown had a sweetheart neckline, and the bodice was decorated with thousands of rhinestones forming intricate designs. She paired the ensemble with a simple diamond necklace, diamond studs, and sparkly gold shoes. Her make-up was heavier to create a gorgeous night-look, but still looked natural. Her lips shone with pink lip-gloss, and her hair was pulled into a classic bun with a few tight curls left to frame her face. She was stunning.

She laid her hand delicately into mine and curtsied while I bowed. A slow, romantic melody serenaded the room, and Kyoko and I fell into a gentle waltz.

Kyoko kept her gaze down at the floor. "Why did you do this?" she whispered.

"I wanted to make the whole middle school thing up to you. We hosted this ball for you," I explained, leading her across the dance floor.

She snorted. "You expect me to just forgive you like that? You think throwing me a ball will fix everything?"

I shook my head. "No. I just want you to see how sincerely sorry I am. What Kaoru and I did was wrong. I don't expect you to ever forgive us," I answered.

"You mean Hikaru. You're Kaoru," she corrected.

I laughed. "Wow, you're good. I just wanted to make sure the Paris cafe wasn't just luck. But tell me the truth, how can you tell I'm Kaoru?" I questioned.

"I told you the truth last time. You're calmer and sweeter than he is. Besides, he's too proud to apologize," Kyoko replied.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a hothead. So have we come to an understanding? Truce?" I inquired.

She sighed. "Kaoru, it's not that easy. You just expect me to fall into your arms and tell you that I forgive you and that we can be best friends. Real life doesn't work that way. It doesn't work like you and your brother's world," she said softly.

"I'm not asking for us to be best friends. I'm just asking for us to be okay," I murmured.

Kyoko licked her lips. "Haven't you ever heard the saying 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'? Doesn't that apply here? I can't trust you not to turn on me again. I'm not going to be the fool."

"There is no fool because there is no trick. I swear. I just want us to be okay. I want us to be able to talk to each other without venom."

"Well, I can't promise that last part. I'm quite snarky after all," Kyoko giggled.

"As am I. But hey, look at where it got us."

"Hating each other."

I froze. A thousand different thoughts raced through my mind. I cocked my head to the side. "I don't hate you."

She blushed. "Oh..." Her gaze plummeted to the floor.

I lifted her chin with my one finger. "Hey, aren't ladies always supposed to look at the gentleman their dancing with?" I chuckled lightly.

She blushed deeper. "I-I suppose. My apologies, misure."

"And about what you said...do you hate me?" I asked, arching one eyebrow.

At that moment the song concluded, and we each parted. Kyoko curtsied, and I bowed. She turned to disappear back into the crowd, but I caught her arm.

"Kyoko, wait...do you hate me?" I said, repeating my question

She turned to me, her cheeks flushed. "Forget it. I forgive you. We're okay now. Just please leave me be from now on, okay?"

With that, Kyoko fled into the crowd, and I was bombarded by swooning clients.

"Aw, that was so adorable!"

"So cute!"

"I wish I could have been her!"

"Hikaru, you're such a great dancer!"

Despite all the chaos, only one thought ran through my mind. Kyoko.


End file.
